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6,291 'Apps' stories April 2010 - April 2014
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Learn about the latest news for iOS, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV apps

Apps for iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS power our modern world. 9to5Mac will update you on the latest news, review, and updates for all types of apps. “There’s an App for that”.

The term came became part of our vocabulary when Steve Jobs announced The App Store as part of the iPhone 2.0 software update in 2008.

Over the years, the term has become as common as kleenex for describing applications on all of our devices. Apple’s platforms have apps for just about anything from finance, banking, sports, social media, podcasting, music, and more. We have a guide for helping you discover the best ones as well. Apps are now on everything from our TV, to our smartphones, on our laptops, and all the way down to our wrists.

As new ones are released or existing ones have major updates, the team here at 9to5Mac will bring you the latest news and reviews. If you want to follow along with video footage, be sure to follow 9to5Mac on YouTube. Scroll down below our latest updates on all things relating to applications on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

NYOP Mac software bundle: Few bucks gets RapidWeaver, Tuneup, Snapheal Pro, Crossover, PDF Converter and much more

Avatar for Justin Kahn Apr 22 2014 - 9:00 pm PT
16 Comments
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StackSocial and 9to5Toys Specials are offering another Name Your Own Price Mac Bundle with 10 Mac apps regularly priced at $655. This bundle has some incredibly solid apps, and currently less than $5 will unlock all of the apps. In addition, 10% of your purchase will go to a charity of your choice including Child’s Play, World Wildlife Foundation, or Creative Commons. Also, if you are on the leaderboard at any time, you are entered to win a MacBook Air. The price will go up as more people buy so it is best to get in early.

Some of the notable apps in the bundle are photo editing software Snapheal Pro (Reg. $40), simple website builder RapidWeaver 5 (Reg. $79), Windows software utility CrossOver 13 For Mac, iTunes organizer TuneUp and screen capture software Voila ($30). You can see a full list of the apps in the bundle below, as well as more Mac deals on 9to5Toys Specials and in our daily app deal round-ups.


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Apple updates App Store content ratings system with new descriptions and market-specific ratings

Avatar for Mike Beasley Apr 22 2014 - 3:27 pm PT
4 Comments

Apple has made some changes to the way it handles content ratings in the App Store, as outlined in an email (included below) sent to developers today. These ratings aren’t the five-star reviews that users assign apps, but the age-based restrictions assigned to each app based on the type of content in the app. While most apps are rated 4+ (the lowest), some that contain violent or potentially offensive content may have higher ratings (as seen above).

Starting today, developers will be able to assign a few new content descriptions to their apps in order to help better determine what age group the software is appropriate for. These new descriptions include “Medical/Treatment Information, Gambling and Contests, and Unrestricted Web Access.” That last one is good news for many developers previously forced to use a 17+ rating just because their app included a web browser that could be used to accesss anything on the web.


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9to5Toys Last Call: FitBit Aria smart scale $100, Godfather Trilogy iTunes download $10, IM+ Pro 7 for iOS $0.99, more

Avatar for Apr 22 2014 - 10:07 am PT
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Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed,Facebook, Google+ and subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

iPads:

Seagate Expansion 3TB USB 3.0 Desktop external drive: $90 shipped (Reg. $125)

Games/Apps: Titanfall (all platforms) $37 shipped, Watch Dogs preorder w/ $25 GC, 50% off InstaFisheye, iOS freebies, more

Netflix price increase is coming, but it’s not too late for new members to lock in the current rate

$100 iTunes gift card for $85: Save 15% on future apps, music, movies, more

Other deals from today:

More deals still alive:

New products/useful info:

Microsoft/Google/Android:

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1Password for Mac updated with improvements to 1Password Mini, better URL matching, and more

Avatar for Mike Beasley Apr 22 2014 - 6:00 am PT
6 Comments

1Password 4 for Mac was updated today to version 4.3 with a bevy of enhancements and new features. Unlike today’s update to the iOS version of the app, the OS X-based update is not an overhaul of the application, but instead focuses on refining the software’s feature set.

This update features big updates to the 1Password Mini plugin, which now allows you to edit your saved items and generated passwords, recognizes a number of new keyboard shortcuts, and supports “fuzzy search” for saved items; the auto-save system, which now prompts you to update your existing password if you create a new password for a saved website; and a lot more.


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1Password for iOS updated with all-new design, support for multiple vaults, and more

Avatar for Mike Beasley Apr 22 2014 - 6:00 am PT
11 Comments
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1Password 4 launched last year to much fanfare as a major redesign of the most powerful password management software available. Today the app has been updated to version 4.5, which brings the biggest update to the app’s design since the 4.0 release.

With this update, the entire app has once again been redesigned completely, this time for compliance with iOS 7’s new look. You’ll still find the layout familiar, though some tweaks have been made to a few areas.


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9to5Toys Last Call: Samsung 28″ 4K monitor $600, free $5 audible credit, PNY 128GB USB3 flash drive $43, more

Avatar for Apr 21 2014 - 10:02 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed,Facebook, Google+ and subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:

Samsung 28-inch 4K UHD LED 60Hz Monitor $600 shipped (Reg. $699)

Audible $5 audio book credit for free

PNY 128GB Turbo USB 3.0 Flash Drive $43 shipped (Reg. $70)

$100 iTunes gift card for $85: Save 15% on future apps, music, movies, more

Vizio 40″ 120Hz 1080p LED LCD HDTV + $200 Dell GC for $500 shipped


Other deals from today:


More deals still alive:

New products/useful info:

Microsoft/Google/Android:

Beats Music updated with subscriptions via in-app purchase, Facebook friend search, and a lot more

Avatar for Mike Beasley Apr 18 2014 - 5:48 pm PT
2 Comments
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Beats Music for iOS was updated today to version 1.0.7, but don’t let the minor version number bump fool you: this update has a lot of new stuff, including an entirely new subscription model, packed in.

The biggest news in this update is the option to purchase a subscription directly from the iTunes Store through an in-app purchase. Previously users had to add the Beats Music service to their carrier phone bill in order to enjoy the full feature set, such as on-demand streaming music and downloads.


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Facebook updates Paper app w/ birthdays, events, photo comments, group updates & more

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Apr 18 2014 - 10:16 am PT
0 Comments

Facebook released a big update today to its recently released Paper mobile app. The app, which provides a full Facebook experience alongside a news reader-style collection of content from around the web, today integrates birthdays and events from Facebook via the app’s “notifications globe” icon.

Version 1.1 also introduces the ability to add photos in comments, and updates from Groups:

Don’t miss posts from your favorite groups. Swipe down to open the Main Menu. Tap the More Options icon to the right of the Search box. When you see your groups, check the new unread counts to catch up on the posts you’ve missed.

Also new in the updated Paper app is new navigation buttons for stories and 9 new “article covers” with news from sources including Fox News, Bloomberg News, Mashable, FT, kottke, Popular Science, The Hollywood Reporter, Vanity Fair and Hacker News. Facebook also noted that the app now includes basic accessibility features in all sections and that it’s “working to extend accessibility throughout the app.”

Version 1.1 of Paper for iPhone app is available on the App Store now.

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9to5Toys Last Call: iPad Air/mini $50 off, Denon AV receiver w/ AirPlay $200, Dyson/Fellowes home deals, more

Avatar for Apr 18 2014 - 10:16 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed,Facebook, Google+ and subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature. Today’s can’t miss deals: Last Call updates:

Apple Deals:

Denon AVR-E300 5.1-Ch. A/V Network Receiver $200 shipped (Reg. $400) Home Deals: Fellowes Air Purifiers up to 52% off, Dyson Tower Fan $280 (Reg. $450), kitchen items, more

One year magazine subs: Men’s Health & Maxim Bundle $9 shipped (Reg. $93), Rolling Stone $5 shipped (Reg. $102), Macworld, Car & Driver, more  Western Digital Hard Drives:

Other deals from today:

More deals still alive:

https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/456869873273274368 https://twitter.com/9to5toys/status/456789199606120448 New products/useful info:

Microsoft/Google/Android:

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Facebook for iPhone updated to version 9.0, allows replying to comments on certain pages and more

Avatar for Mike Beasley Apr 17 2014 - 9:38 pm PT
12 Comments

Facebook has pushed out version 9.0 of its iPhone application today, adding new features to the commenting system among a few smaller changes. The biggest change in this minor update allows users to reply to comments on pages that have enabled that specific feature.

Aside from that, administrators will now be able to review and approve posts by group members, and everyone will see posts related to the site’s trending topics highlighted in the iPad version’s News Feed. This update follows the news from earlier today that the company is launching a “friends near me” feature within the app, similar to Apple’s “Find My Friends” service.

Facebook 9.0 is available on the iOS App Store. The full change log is below:

What’s New in Version 9.0

• Reply directly to comments on stories by Pages that have this feature turned on
• Group admins can easily review and approve pending posts by group members
• See posts about trending topics highlighted in News Feed on iPad

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Chase Mobile updated with new design for iOS 7, adds secure messaging and more

Avatar for Mike Beasley Apr 17 2014 - 4:54 pm PT
5 Comments

Chase updated its iPhone app today with a new design for iOS 7—nearly a year after the operating system was first shown to the public—and a few new features. The update also includes the ability to see and reply to secure messages from the bank, as well as the ability to view limits on your mobile desposits.

Other updates to the app include Spanish localization, improved accessibility features, and a revised frequently asked questions page about the app’s security.

You can grab the updated Chase app for free on the iOS App Store.

What’s New in Version 2.331

•User interface optimized for iOS7
•See & reply to secure messages
•See current Chase QuickDepositSM limits
•Spanish version available when you change your phone’s language setting to Spanish
•Improved accessibility for visually-impaired users
•Updated FAQs for mobile security

Our take? We’re in full agreement with the below:

https://twitter.com/chronic/status/457505589342392321

Facebook rolling out new location-sharing feature for iPhone called Nearby Friends

Avatar for Zac Hall Apr 17 2014 - 10:30 am PT
19 Comments
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Facebook announced today it will be rolling out a new social feature to its mobile app called Nearby Friends. The feature allows Facebook users to occasionally receive notifications when common friends are in similar locations similar to features offered by Foursquare and Apple’s Find My Friends service.

If you turn on Nearby Friends, you’ll occasionally be notified when friends are nearby, so you can get in touch with them and meet up. For example, when you’re headed to the movies, Nearby Friends will let you know if friends are nearby so you can see the movie together or meet up afterward.


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9to5Toys Last Call: Netgear AC routers 30% off, Nest Thermostat 10% off, RAVPower 10400mAh power bank $26, more

Avatar for Apr 17 2014 - 10:01 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed,Facebook, Google+ and subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call updates:


Sling Media Slingbox 350, stream live HDTV to your iPhone/iPad $99 shipped (45% off)

Western Digital Hard Drives:

Adobe Photoshop Elements and Premier Elements 12 (PC/Mac) $75 shipped (50% savings)

2-pack of D-Link DCS-930L wireless network cams with iOS/Android app: $50 shipped (Reg. $160)


Other deals from today:


More deals still alive:

New products/useful info:

Microsoft/Google/Android:

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LG’s new Connect SDK helps bridge the gap between mobile apps and TVs

Avatar for Sarah Guarino Apr 17 2014 - 8:45 am PT
0 Comments

LG today announced a new system to help bridge the gap between a range of televisions and mobile software. The Connect SDK is an open-source, multi-platform tool that developers can use to make their mobile apps compatible with different TV set-top boxes and smart TVs. In a press release, Samuel Chang, LG Electronics USA vice president and head of the LG Silicon Valley Lab said:

Connect SDK is breaking down barriers to enable apps and devices to work together harmoniously. The screen size, capabilities and social nature of Smart TVs enable experiences that consumers will absolutely love.

Connect SDK is designed to address the problem of connecting apps with a second screen, the TV, which still serves as a main point of content consumption for many households. The company has released versions of the SDK compatible with devices on both iOS and Android.


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MLB At Bat mobile apps adding Chromecast support today for Premium subscribers

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Apr 17 2014 - 8:15 am PT
5 Comments
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Google announced today on its Chrome blog that Major League Baseball is adding support for its $35 Chromecast streaming stick through the MLB At Bat app for Android and iOS. That means that users with the app and an MLB.TV Premium subscription will be able to stream live and on-demand video content from the app (or from a browser tab in Chrome through MLB’s site) to a Chromecast connected TV. You’ll also be able to use the phone or tablet you’re streaming from as a second-screen experience to “check scores, stats and news” while watching the game on the bigger screen:
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Flickr 3.0 redesigned for iOS, sets its sights on Instagram

Avatar for 9to5 Staff Apr 17 2014 - 8:11 am PT
7 Comments

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_eC-cwC4Kk]

Flickr — Yahoo’s photo-sharing service — has been completely redesigned for iOS to focus on the social aspect of the service, making for a direct competitor to Instagram. The new design is similar on both iOS and Android, though the specific look and feel has been tailored to each platform. The iOS update makes use of blurs and other iOS 7-motifs, while the Android app keeps a darker feel. Both apps are fast to load photos and browse the feed.

The update is expected to debut on the App Store sometime today. Flickr isn’t the most popular photo-sharing service around on mobile, but version 3.0 makes it one of the nicest for iOS — plus that free terabyte of storage helps sweeten the deal.

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Square Enix brings Hitman to iOS w/ new turn-based strategy game

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Apr 17 2014 - 8:01 am PT
1 Comment

Today Square Enix Montreal released a mobile version of the popular Hitman franchise responsible for a handful of critically acclaimed releases on consoles and PCs over the last decade. The iOS spin-off called Hitman Go sees players taking control of the franchise’s main character, hitman Agent 47, but the gameplay is a completely new twist on what we’ve seen from Hitman games in the past.

In the mobile game, you’ll still have to sneak your way through environments using disguises, distractions, and find secret areas and hiding spots to get to your target and complete a hit, but this time you’ll be doing so with turned-based puzzle/strategy gameplay on your iPhone or iPad.  

With Hitman GO, you’ll experience:

• Challenging puzzles that put your assassination skills to the test
• Beautiful scale model-style visuals
• Environments with secret passageways and off-limit areas
• Agent 47’s tools of the trade: Distractions, disguises, hiding spots, sniper rifles and even the iconic Silverballers
• Different enemy types with unique and deadly behaviours
• Different ways of completing each level, silently or forcefully

Hitman Go is available for $4.99 on the App Store now.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9kJxrLSwHU]

RunKeeper launches friendly fitness app “Breeze” for iPhone 5s users

Avatar for Zac Hall Apr 17 2014 - 8:00 am PT
7 Comments
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FitnessKeeper, the makers of the GPS tracking and fitness monitoring app RunKeeper, is out with a new activity monitoring app called Breeze. Breeze is simple: it takes advantage of the M7 co-processor on the iPhone 5s that measures steps taken and presents the data in a clean, approachable user interface. Using that data, Breeze reminds you each morning how many steps you took the previous day so you start out motivated. Its activity monitor presents total steps taken each day and summarizes the number of steps and hours spent moving in total.

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Pixelmator teases new version with revamped Repair Tool, cuts price to $15 for limited time

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Apr 17 2014 - 7:13 am PT
8 Comments

In a new blog post, the developers behind Pixelmator have just announced the next iteration of their software. Codenamed ‘Sandstone’, Pixelmator 3.2 will include a brand-new repair tool teased in the above video.

To celebrate the upcoming new version, Pixelmator is on sale in the Mac App Store for just $14.99 — half the normal price. Version 3.2 will be a free update, so all existing Mac App Store customers will get the update automatically.


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Twitterrific adds tweet editing workaround as Twitter announces ad-based app installs

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Apr 17 2014 - 6:33 am PT
3 Comments

Twitterrific for iOS gets a welcomed update today that notably brings the ability to edit tweets with a simple tap of the “more actions” icon. Of course, in order to get around the fact that Twitter doesn’t actually allow editing of tweets, what the function is really doing is quickly deleting the tweet and opening the compose window with original tweet’s text. From there you can quickly edit and share it as fast as possible.  

The app also gets a number of other bug fixes and improvements in the version 5.7.2 update available on the App Store now.

In other Twitter news, Twitter announced today on its blog that it’s launching a new mobile app promotion suite that will allow advertisers to promote mobile app installs both on and off of Twitter.

We have developed a full suite of targeting, creative and measurement tools to enable Twitter advertisers to effectively promote their mobile apps. These are being tested in a private beta, and you may have already seen some examples of these app promotions on Twitter. For marketers, this means a rich, native ad unit that combines the best of Twitter Cards and Promoted Tweets. Users can easily install and engage with apps, directly from the Twitter timeline.

While the Twitter Publisher Network will let mobile app devs run campaigns on Twitter with promoted tweets, Twitter is also teaming up with MoPub Marketplace for ads outside of its service. Twitter says MoPub is one of the biggest mobile ad exchanges in the world reaching over a 1 billion unique devices and serving “more than 130 billion ad requests inside Android and iOS applications every 30 days.”

Twitter has already been testing the new mobile app advertising suite with partners such as Spotify, HotelTonight, Kabam, and Deezer that you might have already seen in your Twitter timeline, but today it’s letting all U.S. advertisers sign up to the private beta through ads.twitter.com.

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Fandango 6.0 for iPhone & iPad adds colorful new icon, Facebook & Google+ sign in, more

Avatar for Zac Hall Apr 16 2014 - 10:43 am PT
3 Comments

Fandango 6.0 for iPhone and iPad is out now with a colorful new orange and blue icon replacing the previous white and red version. It also brings the Spotlight carousel to both iPad, a feature previously limited to the iPhone, which lets you swipe through poster-style cards of movies being promoted.

Signing in is easier now as well with support for both Facebook and Google+ to log in to your Fandango account.

The movie trailer and ticket buying app is available on both iPhone and iPad on the App Store

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9to5Toys Last Call: Two D-Link WiFi cams $50, new Sony 4K TVs are almost affordable, SquareTrade 40% off, more

Avatar for Apr 16 2014 - 9:50 am PT
0 Comments

Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed,Facebook, Google+ and subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

2-pack of D-Link DCS-930L wireless network cams with iOS/Android app: $50 shipped (Reg. $160)

New Sony 4K UHDTVs go up for preorder, and a couple are even halfway affordable

SquareTrade Protection Plans: 2-yr smartphone for $79, and 40% off all others (iPad, Macs, HDTVs, cameras, etc)


Other deals from today:


More deals still alive:

New products/useful info:

Microsoft/Google/Android:

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Texas Instruments adds iBeacon support to its Bluetooth LE chip and dev kit products

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Apr 16 2014 - 6:44 am PT
2 Comments

Texas Instruments announced today that it is adding iBeacon support across its Bluetooth LE chips and development kits. The company is starting by adding support to some of its Bluetooth wireless micro controllers, an automotive connectivity device, and other combo Wi-Fi/Bluetooth products and development kits. TI’s Oyvind Birkenes imagines support for iBeacons in its Bluetooth chips opening up new possibilities for Apple’s Bluetooth LE platform including “asset trackers, retail, building automation systems, automotive and industrial applications, and a wide variety of consumer electronics” beyond what we’ve seen so far. 
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